Dinesh V. Ganvir Takes Charge as 55th Director General of GSI

Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir has assumed charge as the 55th Director General of the Geological Survey of India, the GSI, which works as an attached office of the Union Ministry of Mines. He takes over with more than three decades of work behind him in geological investigation, mineral exploration, engineering geology and the running of scientific institutions, and he set out mineral security, scientific excellence and the use of new technology as his priorities on taking office on 1 November 2026.

His career in the organisation

Ganvir joined the Geological Survey of India on 1 July 1994, after completing a master’s degree in geology from RTMNU University in Nagpur. In a career of more than 32 years he has held scientific, technical and administrative posts in the Central Region, the North-Eastern Region and the Northern Region of the organisation. Just before this appointment he was Additional Director General and Head of Department of the Central Region at Nagpur, and he held additional charge as National Mission Head-II.

Work on the ground

His own field record covers thematic mapping in the Western Bastar Craton and the search for gold and diamond in the Sakoli Fold Belt of Maharashtra. He has also led geoscientific studies tied to the conservation of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters and the Ellora Caves. Abroad, he has represented the organisation at the India-Peru Joint Working Group, the Russia-India Mining Sub-Group and the IMARC meeting held in Australia in 2022.

What he delivered as National Mission Head

In that role he planned and monitored field programmes and nationwide exploration, and drove what the Ministry describes as a five-fold jump in investigations for critical and strategic minerals. The handover of 359 Geological Reports and 377 Geological Memorandums came in that period; 202 of the blocks concerned critical minerals, of which 40 have been auctioned, while 56 blocks handed over under the Exploration Licence regime include 11 that have gone to auction in the first two tranches.

Priorities set out

On taking charge, Ganvir said exploration for critical and strategic minerals would be intensified through integrated geoscientific work, advanced mineral prospectivity mapping and the steady generation of auction-ready blocks, so as to strengthen mineral security, cut import dependence and serve the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He also spoke of using emerging technologies and data analytics alongside field investigation, strengthening laboratories and analytical capacity, and taking exploration offshore. Beyond minerals, he said the organisation would continue its work on fundamental geoscience, landslide early warning, glacial and cryospheric studies, hazard assessment and inputs for major infrastructure projects, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.